Illinois Football: Crystal Ball submitted in favor of Illini for 3-star safety

Illinois football lost a lot of talent in the secondary this offseason, so loading up on defensive backs in the class of 2024 is a good idea.

Bret Bielema and the Illini coaching staff were able to secure a lot of talent in 2023. Illinois is bringing in nine new faces in the secondary, and these players will help patch up the holes left by the departing players who are now in the NFL.

But, as most Illinois fans know, this program needs depth. Before Bielema, we were starved of depth and it showed on the field. Bielema has helped build some solid depth since becoming the head coach, and now he is on the verge of landing even more.

On Friday morning, Jeremy Werner of 247Sports submitted a Crystal Ball Prediction in favor of Illinois to land Chase Green. The prediction comes with a confidence of seven out of 10.

Chase Green would bolster the safety depth for the Illinois football program

Green is a 6-foot, 185-pound safety from Largo High School in Florida. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 107 safety in the country. He is also the No. 143 player coming out of Florida.

It looks like three teams are toward the top for Green. He took an official visit to Temple back on June 9. Green followed that trip up with a visit to Tulane on June 15. He is now in Champaign this weekend to take in what the Illini have to offer.

Opinion

Losing players like Sydney Brown and Kendall Smith in the secondary is going to hurt the Illinois defense, but I am optimistic heading into the 2023 campaign.

While we don’t have a lot of experience at safety returning, we do have some great options. Illinois brought in one of the best safety transfers in the country in Demetrius Hill. We also loaded up on safety help via the junior college and high school ranks.

Green would help add to that great depth. If he picked Illinois, he would have a chance to come in and redshirt in 2024 and learn behind some talented athletes. By 2025, I expect him to see snaps. By 2026, there is a chance Green is starting in the Illinois secondary.

Building out the depth at every position is important. Green would be a great piece to help Illinois continue their dominance on the defensive side of the ball.